italia…day 10…

one of the best meals ever: Osteria Nonna Gina.
-Antipasti: Lardo di colonnata (whole pig fat cured w/spices in marble vat). W/Tuscan bread and semi-aged pecorino! Unique, sumptuous, excellent.
-Main: Gnocchi alla Lella, cooked in the house special sauce. And let me tell you, it was special! Dumplings were filled w/a variety of cheeses, perhaps a gorgonzola type and a ricotta. The sauce actually evoked memories of childhood far far away, but I couldn’t figure out where or what. It had a creamy-like béchamel consistency w/some kind of nut, pistachio.
-Side: Boiled fresh fava beans flavored w/pancetta.
Theresa had the dry spaghetti. Apparently, there are certain pastas you eat dry, and others wet (fresh, home-made. E.g. Tagliatelle and Pici).
Lella was the cook (mom) and Dado was the dad! Apparently, I must have put the charm on Dado b/c he kept coming back to our table, which is unusual, according to Theresa. He complimented us w/Amaretto and grappa to have w/our macchiatos. On our way out, we chatted w/Lella, who wanted to set us up w/the kitchen help and kept asking how old I was. She also invited me to learn in her kitchen if I stayed! Dammit, why do I have to go back to work? Riecine also invited us to help w/the harvest and bottle in the fall, if we were still around. I will need to come back to Tuscany b/c there were not enough days here to eat everything. Instead, I will pathetically sneak back into the states about 6 bottles of wine, some wild boar salami, and a big head of unpasteurized pecorino to try to re-live my trip.

italia...day 9...

I’m in Siena, sitting in the shell-shaped something or other right in the middle of the town, where supposedly in the spring they let the horses run through for some festivities. Visited Il Duomo cathedral (molto gothic, built in the 12th C, where I’ve never seen so much in-laid marble. Most of the art was done by Pisarro and Donatello. Thea’s gone and am here by myself, meeting up w/another friend of a friend for dinner. However, for lunch, I had the most pleasant experience. I went to Trattoria Papei, their menu being a bit more extended than other home style restaurants. They had things like Zuppa du Cippola and wet pastas like Papardelle al Cinghiale. Dang, if I were a guy, I could eat so much more of the food here, what a bummer. Anyway, I got the Crostini de pate fegatini di pollo (chicken liver pate on toasted bread) and Fettini di Vitello (grilled slices of veal) w/a side of Carciofi al cartoccio (baked artichokes). Another excellent meal. I was about to ask for the bill, when my waiter brought over a glass of Vin Santo and a single Cantucci (what Americans call Biscotti, very dry dense almond cookie. In fact, biscotti here just means cookie). I think I had just discovered one of life’s most pleasant combinations, especially after a meal! Like rice and kimchee. My waiter pointed to 2 older gentlemen sitting at a table nearby who had so kindly ordered the dessert! How Italian and sweet! I went over to their table and greeted them w/a hearty kiss, a grazie and a arrivederci!

italia day 7

…day 7…today the food was the winner. At Badia a Coltibuono, an old abbey that still produces its own wine. We had the Tortino di Polento con Bacala mantecato al aglio e Cappera fritti (polenta pie w/whisked salted cod topped w/fried capers). The fried capers tasted like Korean seaweed. It was seasoned w/fresh rosemary and this dish was divine, just like the abbey. For the main course, I ordered the Farinata di mais ecastagne con verdure saltalte e pancetta coccante (Chestnut porridge w/steamed vegetables w/crunchy fried pancetta). I had that w/their 98 reserve chianti. YUM! Afterwards, we drove to a very small vineyard called Riecine where the sommelier, Alessandra, gave us a personal tour and chatted w/us for about 2 hours, giving us a firm lesson about Chianti. Basically, you’ve the DOC and the DOCG, the Consortio de Gallo Nero winemakers and it has nothing to do w/standards of taste. To be considered a Chianti Classico, you must follow certain Chianti-making procedures denoted by the DOC. If you don’t and there are many wines that don’t, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not good. Chiantis are made w/at least 85% Sangiovese and either Canolo Nero or Merlot. If they’re made w/anything else, then it’s a Super Tuscan, highly desired despite their non-classification status. At Riecine, I bought the 2000 CC (which needed a few years aging) and a Super Tuscan called La Goia (full-bodied and woody b/d they used new oak barrels rather the Chianti-standard old barrels. These are 100% Sangiovese, even though the standard minimum is 85%. She said the best years for Chiantis are 95 and 97. 98 was a bad year for several producers. We are now at a bar that serves 40 kinds of sandwiches, we’ve eaten cookies from Pasticeria Bini, recommended by my friend who used to live here a few years ago. Tomorrow – Montalcino!

italia…day ?...

made it to Tuscany w/no problemo…despite the scant 3 hours of sleep. The house party we went to last night kept us up till 5 am and it was well worth it. the boys we met the night before threw an awesome party – great food, drinks, and people. I complimented marco, the host, on the jamon Serrano. I chowed down a much needed few slices after some whisky…so, Italian men are very touchy. I had about 3 guys come up and kiss my neck and 1 guy kiss me smack on the lips w/no warning. They even touch each other as a brotherly kind of greeting/affection.

"photo! photo! photo!"

“facciamo el sexo!”
“hi! let’s go gangbang!”
those were some memorable quotes from the party. Great party, marco did not get any action from me, but I believe Gary Indiana did from Thea…

italia…day 3…

we did it. la maratona della citta di Roma. Time 4 hours 33 minutes, baby. What I was totally aiming for. Thanks to the power trio – Thea (left), Mega (right), and me. And after our bath and 3 hours of fashion TV in our hotel room, we headed out to a bar, where we met some boys who invited us to their “Sinatra” theme party…Me affato pudiere conosherti! = pleased to meet you, that’s what I learned tonight. But back to the race…I totally cried when I crossed the finish line. I had no idea I was going to be that emotional…tomorrow, we’re playing things by ear, take it easy, maybe do a little shopping, eat some decent food (b/c that is something that has not been happening in this hotel) I can’t waste more days here eating crap like this. Did I mention all the boobs we watched popping out of the runway models’ outfits on fashion TV? And Thea’s rendition of it? I can’t decide which was funnier…

italia!

...day 1...today I leave for Rome and yesterday the Iraq war started…

…day 2…figured out how to take the bus to the Cappucin Museum. No, we didn’t stare at a bunch of coffee; rather we looked at piles of skulls. Yes, it was apparently OK to bury priests and monks inside churches, and so there lie inside the museum the bones of 4000 friars, ornately and tediously placed among 6 rooms (altars). 1 room had like the entire wall full of skulls, the chandeliers made of arm bones and vertebrae. There were some princes and princesses buried there as well. One of the popes had ordained it ‘plenary indulgence’ or some term I can’t quite remember and you automatically become holy yourself if you visit on the first day of October….